Opening remarks by Minister Desmond Lee at MND National Day Awards Investiture at Jurong Lake Gardens

Oct 21, 2024


Let me begin by congratulating all our colleagues who will be receiving National Day Awards this year.

You have worked hard as one MND Family, and one Public Service, to build Singapore up, and you served Singaporeans with dedication and professionalism.  In fact, the fruits of your hard work, long hours and tireless commitment are evident all around us today:

Our colleagues at HDB,

  • You have caught up with more than 90% of the flats that had been delayed by the pandemic, with the last delayed project to be completed by early next year.
  • You have ramped up the supply of new HDB flats to meet robust demand.
  • You have advanced the preparation of land and construction to launch more Shorter Waiting Time (SWT) flats with wait times of less than three years. This year, we have launched more than 2,800 of such Shorter Waiting Time flats, ahead of our target to offer 2,000 to 3,000 of such flats each year, from 2025 – we are one year ahead.
  • Introduced a new BTO flat classification system for Standard, Plus and Prime flats, and this is not just a classification system – it really goes to the heart of ensuring affordable homeownership all across the island, allowing us to maintain a good social mix in different parts of Singapore, and also keeping our system of subsidies fair across the board.
  • You have also helped us enhance our housing grants, to help more first-time home buyers own their first home.

At BCA, you have helped us make good progress accelerating the transformation of our Built Environment sector’s productivity, digitalisation and sustainability.

  • In June 2024, we introduced CORENET X, from a soft launch with some partner firms to accept voluntary submissions industry-wide.
  • We have also introduced the Mandatory Energy Improvement (MEI) Regime to reduce emissions from energy-intensive buildings, marking a key step towards greener and more sustainable practices.

At NParks, you have continued the good and important work in transforming Singapore into a City in Nature.

  • You have established more green spaces such as the new Bidadari Park and rejuvenated existing ones; like the Chinese and Japanese Gardens, which was officially opened by SM Lee on 8 September this year. In fact, here we are, in the Japanese Gardens, marking 10 years of work on Jurong Lake Gardens – our third national garden.
  • We also opened the very first Social Enterprise Community Urban Farm (SECUF) at West Coast Park, bringing communities closer together through urban farming activities.

At URA, you have been actively engaging the public in shaping our Master Plan, which will chart Singapore’s detailed land use and development plans for the next 10 to 15 years. This ongoing engagement is an important exercise, as it translates the diverse aspirations of our society into concrete ground plans ranging from national initiatives to neighbourhood projects for a more sustainable, and inclusive Singapore. In fact, this work follows the hard work that you have completed on the Long-Term Plan Review.

At CEA, you have continued to partner the industry to raise professional standards and competencies of real estate agents, and increase consumer confidence in the real estate industry by enhancing their training frameworks, tightening regulatory oversight and further strengthening partnerships with industry. These efforts are crucial as we work towards creating a more efficient, trusted and consumer-oriented real estate industry.

All of this progress would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication from each and every one of our colleagues, both at MND and our statutory boards. For instance:

Ms Mavis Ng Keh Ying and her team at BCA worked tirelessly to engage colleagues from other agencies and reach out to industry stakeholders to re-design the regulatory process under CORENET X, and gain industry buy-in.

Mr Tan Guan Zheng and his team at HDB worked hard to enhance the vibrancy of our HDB heartlands and shops. They drove the Budget Meals Initiative at HDB coffeeshops, and collaborated with ESG on pilot programmes for innovative retail concepts to invigorate our heartland shops, whilst preserving their character and heritage. 

They are just two of the many colleagues whom we are recognising today, who exemplify the Public Service values of integrity, service and excellence.

The Road Ahead

Our mission to make Singapore an endearing home and a distinctive global city never stops. There are exciting challenges ahead of us, which we must tackle together:

  • For instance, our economy will face stiffer regional and global competition.
  • Technology and Artificial Intelligence will radically transform how we live, work and play.
  • Climate change and our rapidly ageing population will have an increasingly pronounced impact on our way of life.
  • Our society is rapidly evolving, becoming more diverse in culture, beliefs, aspirations, and needs.
  • And our land constraints will become tighter, even as needs and aspirations grow, with increasingly difficult trade-offs for us to navigate.

These are daunting challenges but our approach must stay anchored by cardinal principles and values that have served us well:

  • As an MND Family, we must ensure that our public housing programme remains affordable, accessible and inclusive. We must continue to steward our land carefully through deliberate long-term planning and extensive public and stakeholder engagement. We must push for transformation in our Built Environment Sector towards one that is more sustainable, resilient, and productive.
  • As officers in the Public Service, the values of integrity, service and excellence must remain at the heart of everything that we do.

Conclusion

Once again, our heartiest congratulations to all our award recipients this evening.  

Thank you.